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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: cap · march · chip · chair · current · present

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cap — of ice
  4. present — a gift
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — happening now
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. current — electric
  13. present — there
  14. current — of water
  15. chip — to eat
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. present — the time now

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