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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: fan · roll · charge · pit · current · bear · chest · net

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — of water
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. charge — a price
  10. current — electric
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bear — the animal
  20. charge — in control
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. net — after costs
  24. current — happening now

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