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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 120 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: cue · chest · safe · pop · current · stick · can · last

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. current — happening now
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. can — a tin
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pop — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pop — soda
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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