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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.

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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: current · face · game · cabinet · mug · foot · bowl · shower

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. shower — to wash
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. shower — rain
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. game — a match
  15. current — happening now
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. current — of water
  21. mug — a face
  22. current — electric
  23. foot — a measure
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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