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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. current — of water
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — happening now
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — in control
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. file — a tool
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. charge — electricity
  15. current — electric
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. bowl — a dish

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