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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: land · tear · court · rash · face · present · row · charge

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. court — of a king
  3. rash — hasty
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — a gift
  6. court — for sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. row — a line
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — a series
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — ground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. charge — in control
  22. present — there
  23. charge — a price
  24. court — of law

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