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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: face · leaves · mouse · mine · board · track · charge · content

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. content — happy
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. mine — for digging
  13. charge — in control
  14. board — to get on
  15. face — to point toward
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. charge — a price
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. mouse — the animal

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