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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · bat · charge · face · mate · fine · staff · ground

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. ground — a position
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. charge — in control
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ground — crushed
  10. staff — a stick
  11. charge — electricity
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fine — all right
  14. spell — magic
  15. face — to point toward
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — letters
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mate — to breed
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. charge — a price
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bat — for baseball

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