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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.

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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
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: file · pitcher · cap · safe · current · field · snap · chair

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. field — a subject
  5. cap — a lid
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — farmland
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. snap — to click
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. file — a tool
  18. field — for sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cap — of ice
  22. file — a document
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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