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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chair — a leader
  7. face — to point toward
  8. roll — a cake
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. roll — a list
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. charge — a price
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. date — the fruit
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tear — to rip

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