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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: row · current · court · cap · cue · mark · spring · bat

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spring — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a hat
  9. row — a line
  10. current — of water
  11. cue — a signal
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mark — a trace
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spring — the season
  19. court — of law
  20. spring — a coil
  21. court — of a king
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bat — the animal

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