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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: face · clip · hide · charge · spring · lie · hand · cabinet

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lie — to recline
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spring — the season
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — a video
  14. spring — of water
  15. face — part of the head
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — help
  24. face — to point toward

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