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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
468
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: bat · swing · dip · safe · content · current · charge · cold

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bat — the animal
  4. content — happy
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. swing — to play on
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — an illness
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. swing — music
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. current — of water
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — happening now
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. swing — in golf
  21. content — the amount
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bat — for baseball

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