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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: race · current · pit · sharp · chair · swing · net · charge

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pit — in a race
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — of water
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. current — electric
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. swing — to play on
  10. charge — electricity
  11. current — happening now
  12. sharp — clever
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. race — humankind
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — after costs

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