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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 116 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: deal · face · game · wound · current · chair · coach · can

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. can — to be able to
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. current — happening now
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. current — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — electric
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. deal — to handle

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