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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
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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: bat · game · charge · lean · spell · mug · current · bass

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a face
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. charge — electricity
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. game — a match
  13. current — of water
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — letters
  20. game — wild animals
  21. charge — in control
  22. lean — thin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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