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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.

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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: staff · chair · bat · net · rest · current · spell · wave

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. rest — a break
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. spell — letters
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. chair — a leader
  24. net — after costs

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