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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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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: hand · press · field · charge · face · stick · sharp · lie

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. hand — help
  5. charge — in control
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. field — for sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. charge — a price
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — clever
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. charge — electricity
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — a subject
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lie — an untruth

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