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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: jam · charge · bear · field · current · kid · roll · race

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. kid — child
  4. field — a subject
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. current — happening now
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — the animal
  13. current — electric
  14. race — a contest
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a list
  18. race — humankind
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. current — of water
  22. charge — electricity
  23. field — for sport
  24. roll — a cake

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