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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: file · hide · swing · current · chair · pound · safe · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a document
  6. current — electric
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. current — of water
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — in golf
  18. file — a line of people
  19. swing — music
  20. file — a tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — to hit hard

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