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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — to bear
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — help
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — in music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. staff — employees
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hide — animal skin

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