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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.

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: chair · hide · cap · field · staff · key · board · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. board — to get on
  6. cap — of ice
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. field — farmland
  12. board — a committee
  13. field — a subject
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ground — crushed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — a lid
  20. key — in music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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