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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: bat · toast · key · chest · wind · charge · degree · saw

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chest — of your body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — in music
  7. toast — bread
  8. key — the most important part
  9. charge — a price
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — electricity
  18. degree — from a university
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. chest — a box
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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