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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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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 · swing · mate · mine · scale · suit · key · game

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — size or range
  5. charge — electricity
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — to breed
  8. charge — in control
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. key — for a lock
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mate — a friend
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. charge — a price
  20. suit — clothes
  21. swing — music
  22. key — in music
  23. scale — in music
  24. game — wild animals

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