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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: date · wave · content · racket · current · dip · charge · kid

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. charge — a price
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. charge — electricity
  7. current — of water
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. current — happening now
  10. dip — to sink
  11. date — the fruit
  12. current — electric
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — child
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kid — to tease
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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