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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: content · tube · current · bat · kid · snap · perch · pop

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. current — electric
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. current — happening now
  12. content — happy
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. snap — to click
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bat — the animal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tube — a container
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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