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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: charge · press · chair · scale · court · fan · face · track

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — a publisher
  8. track — to keep track
  9. charge — electricity
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — newspapers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — for sport
  15. press — to push
  16. track — a song
  17. charge — a price
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. track — a path
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. charge — in control

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