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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: staff · stick · chair · degree · mate · craft · board · can

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. board — to get on
  4. can — a tin
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mate — to breed
  14. staff — employees
  15. craft — boats
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a friend
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chair — a leader

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