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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: roll · cap · charge · cold · mug · current · ground · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mug — a face
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mug — a cup
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ground — a position
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cold — an illness
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. charge — a price
  23. cap — of ice
  24. roll — a list

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