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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: ground · scale · chip · stick · current · club · face · bound

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — happening now
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — electric
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bound — tied together
  13. current — of water
  14. face — part of the head
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. scale — in music
  20. club — a group
  21. ground — a position
  22. face — to confront
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ground — the earth

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