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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 116 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: current · suit · staff · pitcher · cell · last · file · land

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. file — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — to come down
  5. last — finally
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. staff — a stick
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — in biology
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — to go on
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. suit — in cards
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — ground
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — final
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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