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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: march · current · lean · bulb · calf · game · face · ball

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. current — happening now
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. march — music
  12. ball — a dance
  13. current — of water
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — electric
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — wild animals

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