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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
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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 · current · cold · march · foot · mug · saw · mark

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — not warm
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chair — a leader
  17. march — the month
  18. current — electric
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mark — a trace
  22. foot — a measure
  23. march — music
  24. mug — to rob

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