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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: charge · can · fan · bat · current · root · game · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. current — of water
  11. root — of a plant
  12. current — happening now
  13. charge — electricity
  14. can — a tin
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. game — a match
  17. charge — in control
  18. current — electric
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. charge — a price
  24. fan — a supporter

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