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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · face · fine · chest · court · lie · straw · content

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — the amount
  6. court — of a king
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. charge — in control
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fine — all right
  13. charge — a price
  14. content — happy
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. court — of law
  19. lie — to recline
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. face — part of the head
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. court — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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