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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: bat · rush · present · current · bound · cue · shower · stick

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. present — there
  3. current — happening now
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — rain
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — the time now
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — certain
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cue — for pool
  23. present — a gift
  24. cue — a signal

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