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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 124 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. chip — to eat
  3. current — electric
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — of water
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — magic
  11. current — happening now
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. face — part of the head
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cell — a phone
  22. current — of water
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. spring — the season

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