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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.

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: march · current · bass · charge · scale · wake · mug · sharp

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. current — of water
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. current — electric
  6. wake — a trail
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mug — a cup
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — music
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bass — the fish
  20. current — happening now
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. charge — in control

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