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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: bound · charge · racket · bear · perch · content · kid · wind

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. kid — child
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bear — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — the amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. perch — the fish
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bound — certain

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