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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: chair · face · cap · march · cue · wave · staff · craft

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. march — the month
  3. face — to point toward
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a leader
  6. staff — a stick
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cue — for pool
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — boats
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — a signal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. craft — a skill
  19. march — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wave — 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