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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: cap · mouse · cell · mug · chair · season · current · lash

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. current — happening now
  18. mug — to rob
  19. current — of water
  20. season — of the year
  21. mug — a face
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chair — a leader

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