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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: ground · bat · mouse · board · current · charge · row · scale

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. board — to get on
  4. current — electric
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — of water
  7. board — a committee
  8. current — happening now
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — a line
  12. bat — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. row — to paddle
  21. scale — size or range
  22. charge — a price
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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