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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: key · charge · land · face · present · bat · capital · cell

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — for a lock
  6. land — a country
  7. charge — in control
  8. bat — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. key — in music
  13. present — there
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. charge — electricity
  17. key — the most important part
  18. land — ground
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. charge — a price
  22. cell — a phone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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