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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. kid — child
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. fall — the season
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a dance
  19. current — of water
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — electric
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — to drop

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