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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: capital · stand · saw · current · leaves · swing · last · chair

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — final
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. current — of water
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. current — happening now
  15. swing — to play on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. swing — music
  24. chair — a leader

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