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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
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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: staff · last · bear · cap · content · face · charge · row

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. staff — a stick
  4. content — happy
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cap — of ice
  7. last — finally
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — the amount
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — part of the head
  14. charge — in control
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. last — final
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — a hat
  22. charge — a price
  23. last — to go on
  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