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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · pitch · temple · current · stock · fan · last · charge

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. charge — in control
  3. stock — shares
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. shower — rain
  7. current — electric
  8. stock — goods
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. charge — a price
  12. current — happening now
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — finally
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. last — final
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — to go on

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