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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. present — a gift
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — electric
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. present — there
  14. march — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chip — to eat
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chip — for betting
  22. current — of water
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. face — to confront

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