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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — in biology
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cold — an illness
  8. charge — a price
  9. cell — a phone
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cold — not warm
  12. charge — in control
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — employees

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