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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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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: row · cell · bass · snap · cue · chest · pit · current

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cell — in biology
  5. current — of water
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bass — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pit — a hole
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. current — electric
  16. chest — of your body
  17. snap — to click
  18. current — happening now
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cue — a hint
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bass — low music

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