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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 · date · chest · mug · cue · roll · rash · bass

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — the fish
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — a box
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cue — a hint
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — a series
  17. mug — a face
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — happening now
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — for pool
  24. roll — a list

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