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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: ruler · chest · chair · staff · wake · can · stick · net

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. staff — a stick
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — for catching
  5. staff — employees
  6. can — to be able to
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — a tin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. net — in sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — a leader
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. net — after costs
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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