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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: charge · calf · bore · can · club · last · cold · snap

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. charge — a price
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bore — to tire
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. last — to go on
  12. can — a tin
  13. snap — to click
  14. last — final
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. last — finally
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. charge — in control
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — not warm
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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