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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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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: chair · nail · charge · content · kid · snap · net · arm

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. charge — electricity
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. charge — in control
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. kid — to tease
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. charge — a price
  20. snap — to click
  21. content — happy
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. kid — child
  24. chair — to sit on

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