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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: content · charge · rash · bear · date · current · squash · staff

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rash — a series
  5. bear — the animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rash — hasty
  14. charge — in control
  15. content — happy
  16. current — of water
  17. date — the fruit
  18. current — electric
  19. charge — electricity
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. current — happening now
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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