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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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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: file · rock · track · pop · last · can · cue · current

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — to go on
  4. pop — music
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. cue — a hint
  9. current — electric
  10. track — a song
  11. cue — a signal
  12. last — final
  13. rock — music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. file — a document
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. rock — a stone
  21. track — a path
  22. file — a line of people
  23. can — to be able to
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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