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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 · band · charge · swing · season · face · track · present

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. present — the time now
  6. band — a ring
  7. season — of the year
  8. present — a gift
  9. track — a song
  10. swing — to play on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to confront
  16. charge — electricity
  17. present — there
  18. charge — a price
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — to keep track
  21. band — a music group
  22. charge — in control
  23. season — in sport
  24. face — part of the head

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