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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 116 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: track · cabinet · bat · shower · row · face · current · cue

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. current — of water
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. shower — rain
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. current — electric
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. current — happening now
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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