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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · stand · charge · hide · march · ground · row · fine

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. ground — the earth
  9. march — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fine — all right
  13. charge — a price
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stand — to bear
  17. charge — electricity
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. charge — in control
  20. ground — crushed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — a line
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. face — to confront

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