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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. charge — in control
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rule — government
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. charge — a price

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