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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
468
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: current · wind · bass · craft · charge · pitch · fall · bat

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. charge — a price
  8. wind — moving air
  9. current — happening now
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. current — of water
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. charge — in control
  22. bass — the fish
  23. craft — boats
  24. bass — low music

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