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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · dip · march · toast · charge · trunk · chair · key

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — bread
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. chair — a leader
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. march — music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. charge — in control
  14. march — the month
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. key — the most important part
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pop — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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