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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: cap · craft · current · date · kid · chair · foot · mug

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. craft — a skill
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mug — a face
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — child
  9. current — of water
  10. mug — to rob
  11. foot — a measure
  12. current — electric
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chair — a leader
  21. craft — boats
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mug — a cup

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