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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: straw · charge · mug · bore · current · object · race · capital

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. current — happening now
  5. mug — a cup
  6. current — of water
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — a face
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mug — to rob
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. object — an aim
  20. charge — in control
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a city
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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