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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 116 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: wind · charge · cold · net · lash · fine · land · key

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. land — a country
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — in sport
  5. cold — not warm
  6. charge — a price
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. net — after costs
  17. land — ground
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. land — to come down
  21. fine — all right
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. net — for catching

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