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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 120 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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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: race · current · kid · bat · pass · stand · pitcher · cell

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kid — child
  7. current — of water
  8. kid — to tease
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — humankind
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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