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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: game · march · land · charge · current · rest · rock · lean

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lean — to bend
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lean — thin
  5. rest — what's left
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. charge — in control
  11. rest — a break
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. land — ground
  16. march — music
  17. game — a match
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. land — a country
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — the month
  23. charge — a price
  24. rock — a stone

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