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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 · saw · pass · date · bat · rush · chair · tube

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pass — a permit
  7. current — electric
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tube — a container
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. current — of water
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tube — the underground

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