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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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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 · bore · shower · foot · vault · cold · snap · current

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. charge — electricity
  4. current — of water
  5. shower — rain
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — in control
  10. vault — a safe
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. foot — a measure
  18. shower — to wash
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — a price
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. current — electric

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