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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: cue · calf · bound · content · current · sharp · bat · last

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — the amount
  5. cue — a signal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. current — electric
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cue — for pool
  11. last — to go on
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — final

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