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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: march · cabinet · key · tube · saw · hand · charge · mine

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — a container
  6. saw — the tool
  7. charge — electricity
  8. key — for a lock
  9. saw — the tool
  10. march — the month
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mine — for digging
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. key — in music
  22. charge — in control
  23. march — music
  24. tube — in a tire

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