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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: present · net · ruler · kid · cue · land · current · chair

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. present — there
  3. kid — to tease
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. current — happening now
  9. present — the time now
  10. current — electric
  11. land — a country
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kid — child
  14. current — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cue — for pool
  18. land — ground
  19. cue — a hint
  20. present — a gift
  21. net — for catching
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. net — after costs

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