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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: wake · sharp · clip · staff · foot · fan · present · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wake — a trail
  5. present — there
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. clip — to cut
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — a gift
  15. staff — employees
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. present — the time now
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. foot — a measure
  24. sharp — clever

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