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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: pit · toast · hand · face · swing · game · current · fork

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. swing — music
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. face — to point toward
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — a match
  11. face — to confront
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pit — a hole
  19. toast — bread
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. swing — in golf
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pit — in a race

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