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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. current — electric
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — a series
  8. face — to confront
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — a weight
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. row — to paddle
  13. band — a ring
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — of water

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