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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: charge · object · content · mate · last · band · kid · nail

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. charge — a price
  5. band — a music group
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — happy
  9. mate — to breed
  10. last — finally
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. object — to protest
  13. last — final
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mate — a partner
  16. band — a ring
  17. last — to go on
  18. object — a thing
  19. kid — child
  20. object — an aim
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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