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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: object · current · pop · pitcher · bat · stand · tube · cold

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — the animal
  6. current — electric
  7. pop — soda
  8. tube — a container
  9. pop — to visit
  10. object — to protest
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cold — not warm
  14. object — an aim
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. object — a thing
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pop — music

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