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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: roll · jam · rest · swing · club · current · cue · bat

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cue — a hint
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. swing — to play on
  6. current — of water
  7. bat — the animal
  8. club — for golf
  9. current — happening now
  10. rest — a break
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — electric
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — a list
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — for pool
  22. swing — music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. swing — in golf

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