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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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 — in control
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. charge — a price
  7. rock — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. charge — electricity
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. net — after costs
  15. rock — a stone
  16. face — to confront
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. net — for catching
  19. pit — a hole
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rock — to move gently

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