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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: charge · chest · tear · season · stock · snap · toast · key

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. charge — in control
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — shares
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — for a lock
  7. charge — electricity
  8. key — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. charge — a price
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — bread
  17. stock — goods
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — the most important part
  20. season — in sport
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. snap — to click
  24. toast — the most admired

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