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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: chest · sharp · cell · face · coach · deal · root · charge

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — of a word
  4. charge — in control
  5. chest — a box
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — in biology
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. face — part of the head
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — of a plant
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — the cause
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — a phone
  20. face — to point toward
  21. deal — to handle
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. sharp — exactly

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