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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: snap · cue · current · land · jam · sharp · bat · cell

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. current — of water
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cue — a signal
  8. current — happening now
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cue — for pool
  12. snap — to click
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bat — the animal
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. cell — a phone
  19. land — a country
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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