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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 · charge · chair · pop · drill · snap · kid · fine

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kid — to tease
  5. drill — army training
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kid — child
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. charge — in control
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pop — music
  13. charge — a price
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. face — to confront
  16. fine — all right
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. charge — electricity
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. snap — to click

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