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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 120 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: hide · firm · land · cold · charge · current · pitcher · scale

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. firm — steady
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. charge — a price
  5. firm — a company
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. land — a country
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. cold — not warm
  16. scale — in music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. current — electric
  19. land — to come down
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. land — ground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — decided
  24. scale — for weighing

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