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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: bay · net · capital · last · current · season · staff · kick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. current — electric
  3. last — to go on
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. current — of water
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. kick — in football
  9. net — in sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — of the year
  13. current — happening now
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — after costs
  19. last — final
  20. season — in sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. kick — with a leg

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