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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: present · pop · bulb · bat · rock · cold · stick · current

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — music
  6. rock — music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pop — to visit
  9. present — there
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pop — soda
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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