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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: current · hand · rush · bat · kick · jam · foot · fan

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — help
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. current — of water
  20. foot — a measure
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bat — the animal

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