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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. current — happening now
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. current — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — electric
  16. charge — a price
  17. rule — government
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rule — a law

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