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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: chest · rush · plane · content · present · pass · kid · charge

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. present — a gift
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. chest — a box
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — the amount
  9. pass — a permit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. charge — a price
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. present — there
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. content — happy
  22. present — the time now
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chest — of your body

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