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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: cell · sharp · wave · bat · roll · vault · pop · current

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pop — music
  3. roll — a list
  4. current — happening now
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pop — soda
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pop — to visit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cell — in biology

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