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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: present · cold · charge · bound · content · mouse · shower · pitcher

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bound — tied together
  3. charge — in control
  4. content — happy
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — not warm
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. charge — a price
  10. shower — rain
  11. content — the amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — a gift
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. present — there
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — to wash

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