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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: toast · key · wave · chair · staff · stock · kid · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. charge — in control
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stock — shares
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stock — goods
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kid — to tease
  19. key — in music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kid — child
  23. chair — a leader
  24. toast — bread

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