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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.

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 · chest · sharp · arm · present · mate · object · current

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. current — of water
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — there
  8. chest — a box
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. present — the time now
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. present — a gift
  14. current — electric
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mate — a friend
  21. object — an aim
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — of ice
  24. sharp — with an edge

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