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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.

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: sharp · wind · face · fan · cap · bowl · perch · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. face — to confront
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — clever
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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