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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 120 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: shower · current · staff · swing · sharp · key · net · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — of water
  4. net — after costs
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. swing — to play on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. swing — music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — to confront
  14. key — the most important part
  15. staff — employees
  16. key — in music
  17. current — electric
  18. net — in sport
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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