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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: shower · bowl · craft · mine · current · charge · cap · bat

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. current — happening now
  10. charge — in control
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cap — of ice
  15. craft — boats
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mine — an explosive

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