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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: net · last · ground · spell · lie · chip · current · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — happening now
  4. last — final
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — of water
  7. face — to confront
  8. chip — for betting
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. net — after costs
  12. last — finally
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. spell — magic
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. current — electric
  22. lie — to recline
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — for catching

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