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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: rash · lean · charge · staff · field · current · pass · cold

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. field — for sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cold — not warm
  9. field — a subject
  10. current — happening now
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — a series
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — electric
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rash — hasty
  19. current — of water
  20. lean — to bend
  21. staff — employees
  22. lean — thin
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lean — to rest against

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