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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: march · cue · current · bat · pop · bank · file · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cue — for pool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pop — soda
  16. bank — for money
  17. file — a document
  18. march — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bank — for money
  23. current — electric
  24. march — the month

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