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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fine · staff · charge · tube · field · face · toast · vault

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. charge — in control
  3. staff — employees
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. staff — a stick
  6. vault — a safe
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — farmland
  12. toast — bread
  13. tube — the underground
  14. face — to point toward
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — a subject
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. tube — a container

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