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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: chest · bay · key · lean · bark · sharp · arm · charge

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. charge — in control
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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