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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: swing · hand · charge · ground · bass · chest · current · rash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — in golf
  5. charge — a price
  6. rash — a series
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ground — crushed
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — low music
  19. swing — music
  20. charge — in control
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bass — the fish
  23. current — happening now
  24. charge — electricity

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