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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
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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 · toast · bass · staff · bat · fan · roll · rash

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. staff — employees
  3. charge — a price
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. staff — employees
  6. charge — electricity
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. charge — in control
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — low music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bass — the fish
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — a list
  23. bat — the animal
  24. roll — a cake

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