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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · staff · pitcher · wind · march · rash · calf · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. current — of water
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — a leader
  21. staff — a stick
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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