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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 120 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: wound · hide · face · charge · pop · mouse · bowl · mug

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. charge — a price
  5. mug — a face
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — music
  8. face — to confront
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — to visit
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mug — to rob
  20. charge — in control
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to point toward

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