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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · current · stock · press · face · rest · cell · spell

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — to confront
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rest — a break
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — goods
  8. spell — letters
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. current — electric
  12. cell — a phone
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rest — what's left
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — happening now
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — for betting

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