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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 120 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: sharp · saw · leaves · charge · swing · court · cap · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. court — of law
  3. charge — in control
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. face — to point toward
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cap — a hat
  20. swing — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. leaves — of a tree

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