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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: chair · spring · charge · kid · pit · ground · mug · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — of water
  5. mug — to rob
  6. charge — in control
  7. chair — a leader
  8. spring — of water
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — a coil
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. current — electric
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — the season
  23. pit — a hole
  24. ground — the earth

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