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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chip — for betting
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wind — moving air
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. key — in music
  16. charge — in control
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. chip — to eat
  24. nail — on a finger

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