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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: hand · key · bay · charge · lie · fall · date · chip

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. key — the most important part
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. charge — a price
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — in music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chip — for betting

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