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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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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. charge — electricity
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — in control
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — a container
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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