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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: charge · hand · race · spell · nail · current · bass · face

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spell — a short time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. current — electric
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — magic
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. charge — a price
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — happening now
  16. face — to confront
  17. spell — letters
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bass — the fish
  20. charge — in control
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. current — of water

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