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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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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 · kid · cell · rule · bowl · bat

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. current — of water
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kid — to tease
  8. current — electric
  9. rule — a law
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — happening now
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bowl — a dish

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