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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: bore · chair · charge · temple · content · row · bound · present

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. charge — in control
  7. content — happy
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bound — certain
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. present — the time now
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. charge — a price
  17. present — a gift
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a line
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bore — to drill
  24. present — there

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