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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 120 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 · current · row · charge · pass · game · key · prune

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. row — a line
  3. charge — electricity
  4. key — in music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. charge — a price
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. shower — rain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — happening now
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — to paddle
  21. charge — in control
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. key — the most important part
  24. prune — to trim

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