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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
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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: rush · object · pitcher · band · wound · current · game · mate

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mate — a partner
  4. band — a music group
  5. mate — to breed
  6. current — of water
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. object — a thing
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. object — to protest
  14. band — a ring
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — wild animals
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — electric
  23. game — a match
  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