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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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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: rule · track · hand · chip · wound · face · charge · key

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hand — help
  3. charge — in control
  4. rule — government
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. track — a song
  10. charge — a price
  11. key — the most important part
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chip — for betting
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rule — to rule out

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