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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 · present · current · bat · mug · drill · mouse · last

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. present — a gift
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — a box
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — the time now
  12. mug — a face
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. drill — the tool
  17. last — final
  18. current — electric
  19. drill — army training
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — finally
  22. current — of water
  23. last — to go on
  24. mouse — for a computer

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