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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 · band · jam · hide · bat · roll · racket · hand

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. roll — a list
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. band — a ring
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. hand — in cards
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — help

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