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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: rash · ball · face · shower · dip · ground · present · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rash — a series
  5. current — electric
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — to confront
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. shower — to wash
  12. dip — to sink
  13. shower — rain
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. face — part of the head
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — to point toward
  21. present — there
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ground — crushed

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