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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: march · rest · net · charge · mate · key · roll · rash

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. charge — a price
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — in music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. charge — in control
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rest — a break
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — a list
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — music
  24. key — the most important part

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