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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — of water
  7. roll — a cake
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — a list
  10. file — a document
  11. chip — for betting
  12. current — happening now
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. fall — the season
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — thin
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. file — a tool

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