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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: chip · face · rush · cold · current · temple · content · march

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. current — electric
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — to eat
  7. content — the amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — happening now
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. content — happy
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. current — of water
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. march — music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rush — a thrill

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