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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: land · chair · staff · rash · bay · stick · leaves · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — a series
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. land — ground
  23. rash — hasty
  24. content — the amount

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