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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 124 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 · charge · cell · foot · saw · staff · date · perch

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. staff — a stick
  3. charge — in control
  4. perch — the fish
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — the fruit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. saw — the tool
  11. charge — electricity
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — a phone
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. face — to confront
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — in biology
  21. charge — a price
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. face — part of the head
  24. perch — for a bird

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