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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 · face · fork · land · mate · bass · rash · chip

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — to confront
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — to come down
  9. rash — a series
  10. current — happening now
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — of water
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. current — electric
  17. face — part of the head
  18. land — a country
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bass — low music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — ground
  24. chip — to eat

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