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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 120 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 · chip · stock · cue · face · key · game · mine

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. key — in music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — to confront
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cue — a hint
  16. game — a match
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cue — for pool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chip — for betting
  23. key — for a lock
  24. face — to point toward

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