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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 · current · foot · march · game · trunk · shower · chip

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. foot — a measure
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ball — a dance
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — wild animals
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. march — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. current — of water
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ball — a great time
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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