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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: current · rock · mate · kid · chest · band · face · board

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — to get on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chest — a box
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. current — happening now
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — a committee
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. face — to confront
  18. band — a music group
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. current — electric
  22. rock — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kid — child

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