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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 120 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: ball · chair · fork · mark · face · current · squash · kick

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. current — happening now
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kick — in football
  17. fork — in a road
  18. face — to confront
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. current — electric
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — with a leg

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