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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · current · shower · bat · fork · mouse · cap · swing

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fork — in a road
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. current — of water
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. bat — the animal
  17. current — happening now
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cap — of ice
  20. current — electric
  21. spell — letters
  22. swing — music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mouse — 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