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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: net · current · board · game · charge · kick · rush · face

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. net — for catching
  3. charge — a price
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to confront
  9. current — of water
  10. game — wild animals
  11. board — a committee
  12. face — part of the head
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a match
  15. kick — in football
  16. net — after costs
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — in sport
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. charge — in control
  21. current — electric
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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