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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 116 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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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: rest · charge · leaves · chip · safe · board · key · clip

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — the most important part
  5. charge — electricity
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. board — to get on
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — to eat
  12. board — a committee
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — a video
  15. charge — in control
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. clip — to cut
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rest — what's left
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rest — a break
  24. key — in music

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