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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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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 · pass · chair · band · squash · key · safe · fall

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. band — a music group
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. key — the most important part
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. charge — in control
  15. band — a ring
  16. fall — to drop
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pass — a permit
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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