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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: hide · spring · capital · chest · chair · safe · object · current

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. current — electric
  3. object — a thing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — the season
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. chest — a box
  18. capital — money
  19. spring — of water
  20. capital — a city
  21. current — of water
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. current — happening now

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