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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: face · content · sharp · net · wake · cell · racket · charge

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — happy
  6. face — part of the head
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — a trail
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — a phone
  14. face — to confront
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. net — for catching
  18. charge — a price
  19. sharp — clever
  20. content — the amount
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. charge — in control
  24. net — after costs

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