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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 120 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: mug · key · stick · kid · foot · charge · chair · vault

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. vault — a safe
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. key — in music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — to tease
  9. charge — electricity
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mug — a face
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. charge — a price
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — child
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mug — to rob
  18. key — for a lock
  19. chair — a leader
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — in control
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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