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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: pit · mine · roll · charge · land · lean · current · track

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. current — electric
  3. lean — to bend
  4. roll — a list
  5. pit — a hole
  6. charge — in control
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. charge — a price
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lean — thin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. mine — for digging
  22. land — a country
  23. current — of water
  24. roll — on a roll

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