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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 116 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 · charge · rock · band · cap · bound · current · march

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — the month
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cap — a lid
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bound — tied together
  12. charge — in control
  13. band — a ring
  14. march — the month
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rock — music
  19. charge — electricity
  20. band — a music group
  21. rock — a stone
  22. march — music
  23. cap — of ice
  24. charge — a price

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