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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: can · kick · cue · mark · wake · cap · cell · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — a hint
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wake — a trail
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cell — in biology
  8. current — electric
  9. mark — a trace
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. current — of water
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. can — a tin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. kick — in football
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — a grade

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