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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: kick · pass · current · club · pitcher · wake · saw · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. current — electric
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for golf
  9. cold — an illness
  10. current — happening now
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kick — in football
  20. pass — a permit
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. club — a group
  23. current — of water
  24. pass — to succeed

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