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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: mug · current · object · pop · ground · bat · rule · cell

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. mug — a face
  4. object — a thing
  5. current — electric
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pop — soda
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. current — happening now
  14. cell — a phone
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. rule — a law
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. current — of water

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