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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — in control
  6. face — to confront
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bank — for money
  14. cold — not warm
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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