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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. cap — a hat
  5. current — of water
  6. suit — clothes
  7. current — electric
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. current — happening now
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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