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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · face · bound · charge · mark · lie · field · sharp

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bound — obliged
  3. face — to point toward
  4. field — a subject
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. charge — a price
  8. field — farmland
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. charge — in control
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. bound — tied together
  17. charge — electricity
  18. field — for sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — a short time
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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