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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chest · hand · fork · current · key · saw · hide

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. key — for a lock
  4. chest — a box
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — in cards
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. charge — in control
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. current — of water
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hand — help
  21. current — electric
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. key — in music

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