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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: shower · deal · suit · ball · rush · last · current · racket

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. current — happening now
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. suit — clothes
  6. rush — hurry
  7. shower — to wash
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. current — electric
  10. suit — in cards
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a dance
  14. shower — rain
  15. deal — to handle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. suit — to fit
  20. last — finally
  21. current — of water
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. last — final

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