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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 116 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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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: deal · current · cue · cap · lash · bat · pound · last

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. last — final
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. last — to go on
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pound — a weight
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bat — in an idiom

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