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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — electric
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — to paddle
  7. current — happening now
  8. club — for golf
  9. face — part of the head
  10. current — of water
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stem — to come from
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — music
  22. row — a line
  23. chip — to eat
  24. row — a quarrel

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