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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 · pitcher · mate · chest · key · fork · drill · kick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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. key — the most important part
  4. charge — in control
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a friend
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chest — of your body
  17. kick — in football
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — army training
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — a box
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. drill — the tool

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