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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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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: cell · mug · perch · object · swing · charge · shower · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. swing — music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. swing — in golf
  6. shower — to wash
  7. face — to point toward
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — in control
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — to play on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — an aim
  14. cell — in biology
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cell — a phone
  17. object — to protest
  18. face — part of the head
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. object — a thing
  23. charge — a price
  24. shower — rain

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