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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: race · file · club · key · bass · bear · face · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. club — for golf
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. face — part of the head
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. key — the most important part
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. file — a document
  17. club — a group
  18. bass — low music
  19. charge — in control
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — the fish
  24. race — a contest

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