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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: current · charge · date · bass · club · arm · cold · game

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bass — low music
  3. charge — a price
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a match
  11. date — the fruit
  12. current — electric
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. club — a group
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. club — for golf
  19. game — wild animals
  20. charge — in control
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cold — an illness
  24. game — a kind of play

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