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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 116 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: cell · club · rule · pop · can · tear · bat · current

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for golf
  7. rule — a law
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — to visit
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rule — government
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pop — soda
  22. club — a group
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pop — music

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