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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: current · drill · plane · chair · stick · toast · last · cap

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. plane — a tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cap — a hat
  10. current — of water
  11. cap — a lid
  12. drill — army training
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — electric
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. current — happening now
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cap — of ice
  21. toast — bread
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chair — a professorship

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