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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.

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: face · season · hand · land · key · charge · hide · pop

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. charge — a price
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — ground
  9. charge — in control
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — in sport
  13. land — a country
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — to point toward
  19. season — of the year
  20. key — for a lock
  21. face — to confront
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — to come down
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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