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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.

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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: key · mug · last · drill · current · chair · kick · snap

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. current — happening now
  2. mug — a cup
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. last — final
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — in music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. drill — a practice
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — to go on
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mug — a face
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — of water
  22. last — finally
  23. current — electric
  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