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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · content · charge · vault · mate · bore · current · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kid — to tease
  3. charge — in control
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bore — to drill
  7. charge — electricity
  8. can — a tin
  9. current — of water
  10. content — the amount
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. can — a tin
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. charge — a price
  24. vault — a safe

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