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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: board · kick · face · hand · snap · club · coach · current

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. face — to confront
  3. club — for golf
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kick — in football
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hand — help
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. club — a group
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. board — a committee
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — part of the head

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