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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: current · charge · cap · file · chair · land · bore · shower

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cap — a lid
  4. file — a document
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — a country
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. charge — electricity
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — in control
  19. current — electric
  20. charge — a price
  21. land — to come down
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. current — of water

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