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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: chest · bat · bass · bowl · last · current · cue · spell

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — electric
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. last — to go on
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — letters
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — magic
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — final
  24. cue — a hint

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