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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 116 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
468
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: content · swing · file · hide · mate · charge · court · current

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. swing — to play on
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. current — happening now
  5. file — a tool
  6. current — of water
  7. swing — music
  8. content — happy
  9. charge — a price
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of a king
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. charge — in control
  14. mate — to breed
  15. court — for sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. file — a document
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. current — electric
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — a friend
  24. court — of law

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