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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: cue · face · chip · current · scale · lash · bass · sharp

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chip — to eat
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. current — of water
  13. bass — the fish
  14. scale — in music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. sharp — clever
  17. face — to confront
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bass — low music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chip — in a computer

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