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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 120 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 · content · cabinet · bore · snap · field · nail · present

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. present — a gift
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — a price
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. field — farmland
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. field — a subject
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to click
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — for sport
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. present — there
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bore — to drill
  21. present — the time now
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. charge — in control

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