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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: club · current · hand · pass · chest · cell · mug · band

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. club — a group
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mug — to rob
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — for golf
  10. chest — a box
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — help
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mug — a face
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. band — a music group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. current — happening now

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