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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: charge · wax · bear · kid · pitch · chip · key · content

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. content — happy
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chip — for betting
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — to grow
  13. key — for a lock
  14. content — the amount
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pitch — completely
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitch — a sports field

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