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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
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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 · season · cue · plane · land · sharp · current · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. current — of water
  6. land — to come down
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. drill — army training
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cue — for pool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. cue — a hint
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — in sport

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