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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: season · current · hide · fall · last · staff · calf · capital

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. current — of water
  5. last — final
  6. season — in sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — of the year
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fall — the season
  14. last — to go on
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — finally
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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