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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · key · coach · current · chip · cell · bulb · bat

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. current — of water
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — electric
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — happening now
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chip — to eat
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — for light
  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