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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 · object · bay · last · pit · mouse · hand · wave

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. current — electric
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. object — a thing
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. last — finally
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. last — to go on
  19. hand — help
  20. current — happening now
  21. object — an aim
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — part of the body

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