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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. current — of water
  3. ground — a position
  4. charge — in control
  5. current — electric
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — in football
  8. bass — low music
  9. current — happening now
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kid — child
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bass — the fish
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bound — certain
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. charge — a price

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