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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · wind · current · rock · plane · season · cap · mug

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — a face
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. season — of the year
  8. current — electric
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cap — a lid
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — in sport
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wind — to turn a key

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