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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
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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: game · land · face · clip · current · kick · leaves · fan

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. face — to confront
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — in football
  16. game — a match
  17. face — part of the head
  18. land — ground
  19. current — electric
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. clip — a video
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. clip — for paper

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