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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.

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 · last · ground · charge · pass · field · mouse · kick

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. charge — a price
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. field — farmland
  13. last — to go on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. kick — in football
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. field — for sport
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ground — a position

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