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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: game · last · snap · current · sharp · pop · calf · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pop — music
  3. last — final
  4. game — a match
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to click
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. last — finally
  15. current — of water
  16. sharp — clever
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. charge — a price
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. sharp — exactly

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