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

Word bank: current · staff · cue · fork · suit · pound · cold · mate

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. current — happening now
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. suit — to fit
  8. current — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fork — in a road
  15. staff — employees
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pound — a weight
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. current — electric

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