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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: scale · wound · mate · kick · current · ground · face · rule

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mate — to breed
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rule — a law
  12. ground — a position
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to confront
  17. scale — in music
  18. kick — in football
  19. current — of water
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. face — to point toward

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