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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · straw · scale · current · cabinet · kick · coach · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spell — letters
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — in football
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — electric
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spell — a short time
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — of water
  20. face — part of the head
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spell — magic
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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