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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · content · bound · kid · charge · saw · fan · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — in control
  4. bound — certain
  5. content — happy
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. kid — child
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. content — the amount
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kid — to tease
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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