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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: face · chair · present · wind · bowl · object · current · mark

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. object — an aim
  4. current — of water
  5. object — a thing
  6. face — part of the head
  7. object — to protest
  8. face — to confront
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. present — there
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — happening now
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chair — a leader
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. current — electric

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