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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: face · scale · sharp · rock · chip · jam · wind · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — to confront
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rock — a stone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rock — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — in music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chip — to eat
  24. scale — size or range

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