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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: mine · key · toast · charge · fall · drill · stick · spell

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. charge — a price
  5. key — in music
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. drill — a practice
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. drill — army training
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — for digging
  15. charge — in control
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — a short time

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