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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: mug · shower · charge · face · net · kick · roll · bowl

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — rain
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mug — to rob
  7. net — for catching
  8. kick — in football
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. net — in sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. roll — a cake
  19. net — after costs
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. face — to confront
  22. shower — to wash
  23. roll — a list
  24. mug — a face

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