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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. bank — for money
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. hand — in cards
  9. face — to point toward
  10. charge — electricity
  11. band — a music group
  12. current — happening now
  13. bank — of a river
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a ring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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