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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.

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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: chair · cap · current · present · straw · cabinet · arm · bear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — there
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. current — electric
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. current — happening now
  8. present — the time now
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — of water
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cabinet — ministers

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