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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: current · chest · roll · charge · ruler · march · pit · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — happening now
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. charge — a price
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — electric
  12. roll — a list
  13. chest — a box
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. current — of water
  18. roll — a cake
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. charge — electricity
  23. march — the month
  24. ruler — a monarch

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