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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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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: bass · face · board · kid · cell · pitcher · spell · current

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kid — child
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spell — a short time
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. spell — letters
  13. current — happening now
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — low music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. face — to confront

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