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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 · rush · band · bat · march · club · ball · game

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a match
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — electric
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. club — a group
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. current — of water
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. current — happening now
  24. club — for golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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