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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mate — a partner
  3. court — of law
  4. charge — a price
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. court — of a king
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. charge — in control
  15. spring — a coil
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. current — of water
  19. court — for sport
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — a friend
  24. charge — electricity

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