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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: last · band · game · current · shower · cell · cap · can

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — final
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — rain
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. band — a music group
  14. current — electric
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. current — of water
  17. game — a match
  18. last — finally
  19. band — a ring
  20. cap — a lid
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. last — to go on

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