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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: foot · spell · arm · pop · face · staff · row · charge

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spell — letters
  3. staff — a stick
  4. charge — a price
  5. staff — employees
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pop — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spell — a short time
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — a measure
  23. face — to point toward
  24. charge — in control

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