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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · current · spring · file · pitcher · face · kid · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. current — of water
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. face — part of the head
  8. current — happening now
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. snap — to click
  12. file — a document
  13. kid — child
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spring — of water
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a line of people
  18. spring — the season
  19. kid — to tease
  20. game — wild animals
  21. current — electric
  22. face — to confront
  23. game — a match
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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