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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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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: staff · charge · field · deal · face · mouse · season · rule

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. season — in sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. rule — government
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. face — to confront
  12. charge — in control
  13. staff — employees
  14. rule — a law
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. deal — to handle
  22. charge — a price
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. field — farmland

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