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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: staff · last · pop · wound · racket · date · bat · current

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. last — to go on
  9. date — the fruit
  10. staff — a stick
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — soda
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — happening now
  18. pop — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — to visit
  21. last — finally
  22. wound — an injury
  23. last — final
  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