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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 116 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: current · bowl · face · game · spell · net · can · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. current — of water
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spell — a short time
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. spell — magic
  9. net — after costs
  10. can — to be able to
  11. game — wild animals
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. spell — letters
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — a tin
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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