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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: cue · pitcher · current · cell · lash · chair · craft · fork

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. craft — boats
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cue — a hint
  7. current — electric
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — happening now
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. current — of water
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cell — in biology

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