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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · staff · chair · mark · net · rush · content · craft

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rush — hurry
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. content — the amount
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. suit — to fit
  11. content — happy
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — a skill
  15. suit — in cards
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. staff — employees
  18. suit — clothes
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. staff — a stick
  21. craft — boats
  22. mark — a grade
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com