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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: face · fall · mine · rush · racket · swing · charge · hand

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — help
  13. fall — to drop
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. charge — in control
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — a price
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fall — the season
  21. charge — electricity
  22. swing — in golf
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — 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