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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: racket · chip · present · key · chest · cold · charge · stand

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cold — not warm
  4. charge — a price
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — in music
  7. present — the time now
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. charge — electricity
  12. present — there
  13. charge — in control
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. chip — to eat
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. present — a gift
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stand — to bear

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