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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.

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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 · field · staff · charge · rule · coach · lie · saw

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — to point toward
  10. charge — electricity
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. staff — employees
  13. lie — to recline
  14. charge — in control
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — a price
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. staff — a stick
  20. face — to confront
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — employees

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