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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: hide · wound · track · current · last · kick · bowl · bass

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. track — a song
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — low music
  10. last — to go on
  11. current — happening now
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. last — final
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — electric
  19. track — a path
  20. last — finally
  21. bass — the fish
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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