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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: chair · lean · charge · file · mark · fine · face · wake

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chair — a leader
  10. charge — in control
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — to confront
  17. file — a document
  18. charge — electricity
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fine — all right
  21. wake — a trail
  22. charge — a price
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wake — before a funeral

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