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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.

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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: game · cell · dip · lie · charge · branch · face · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. charge — in control
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cell — a phone
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. face — part of the head
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — clever
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lie — to recline
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. dip — to sink
  14. charge — electricity
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a match
  18. cell — in biology
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — a division
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. charge — a price
  24. branch — of a bank

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