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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
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Word bank
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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. swing — in golf
  3. current — happening now
  4. degree — an amount
  5. craft — a skill
  6. drill — army training
  7. charge — a price
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — the tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. drill — a practice
  17. swing — music
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — in control
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. craft — boats

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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