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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: rock · present · rest · deal · bat · current · game · fall

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rock — music
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rock — a stone
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — to handle
  13. present — the time now
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. present — a gift
  16. current — electric
  17. rest — a break
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. present — there
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — what's left
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rest — what's left
  24. current — of water

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