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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: mine · cap · hand · club · charge · lie · bass · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bass — the fish
  3. key — the most important part
  4. charge — a price
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — low music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. club — a group
  13. key — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — to recline
  24. club — for golf

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