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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: nail · charge · march · coach · tear · content · key · snap

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. charge — a price
  3. key — for a lock
  4. snap — to click
  5. tear — from crying
  6. march — music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. charge — in control
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. key — in music
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. content — happy
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. content — the amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. charge — electricity
  24. march — the month

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