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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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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: bowl · kick · lash · current · bank · chair · face · rash

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kick — in football
  3. face — part of the head
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rash — a series
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. current — electric
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. current — of water
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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