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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. charge — electricity
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fine — high quality
  8. board — a committee
  9. charge — a price
  10. hand — help
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. board — to get on

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