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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 120 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: current · key · pop · bowl · bat · chest · stem · race

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chest — a box
  7. current — of water
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. current — happening now
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pop — to visit
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. pop — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — electric
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — in music
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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