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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: current · pop · stick · saw · bass · face · chip · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pop — soda
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. current — happening now
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chip — for betting
  17. current — of water
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pop — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — to point toward
  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