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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: stand · face · cue · field · temple · game · shower · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — to point toward
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — electric
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. face — to confront
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. game — a match
  21. face — part of the head
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cue — for pool

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