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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 · mate · kick · pop · chip · bat · perch · shower

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chip — for betting
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — music
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mate — a partner
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. current — electric
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — in football
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pop — soda
  21. chip — to eat
  22. current — of water
  23. mate — a friend
  24. perch — for a bird

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