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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: current · last · squash · mark · leaves · pop · bat · perch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. current — happening now
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — electric
  5. pop — music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. current — of water
  9. last — final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — a grade
  13. perch — the fish
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. squash — to crush
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pop — to visit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pop — soda

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