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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: kid · march · charge · sharp · pass · club · shower · current

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. current — of water
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. charge — electricity
  5. current — happening now
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for golf
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. march — music
  12. current — electric
  13. pass — a permit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. kid — to tease
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kid — child
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. charge — a price
  24. club — a group

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