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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: bark · cue · hand · chest · key · sharp · charge · suit

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chest — a box
  6. sharp — clever
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hand — help
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — of your body
  13. suit — to fit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. key — in music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. key — for a lock
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. charge — a price

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