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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: charge · cold · hand · coach · current · pass · rash · jam

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hand — help
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. charge — a price
  5. current — happening now
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cold — an illness
  11. charge — in control
  12. rash — hasty
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — a series
  15. pass — a permit
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — electric
  24. cold — the Cold War

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