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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: game · current · temple · staff · capital · wave · ground · charge

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. current — electric
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — money
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. charge — electricity
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a city
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. current — happening now
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — a position
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — a stick

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