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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · toast · scale · face · kick · current · shower · pit

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — of water
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. face — to point toward
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — a match
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. toast — bread
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — a hole
  24. current — happening now

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