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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: current · pound · racket · press · cell · bat

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — to push
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cell — a phone
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. cell — in biology
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cell — in a prison

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