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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: date · cue · chair · mate · saw · ground · current · fork

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fork — in a road
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — a hint
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — of water
  18. mate — a partner
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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