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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: sharp · nail · cold · charge · cell · face · kick · row

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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. charge — a price
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cold — an illness
  12. sharp — clever
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kick — in football
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kick — a thrill

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