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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
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: chair · current · field · season · staff · craft · bay · chest

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. season — of the year
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. staff — a stick
  9. current — electric
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. current — happening now
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — boats
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. chair — a leader
  18. season — in sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — of water
  23. chest — a box
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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