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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: chair · cabinet · cap · current · sharp · stem · date · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — happening now
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. current — of water
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. current — electric
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cap — a lid
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chair — to sit on

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