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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. current — electric
  5. hand — help
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. firm — decided
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. present — there
  15. firm — steady
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — a match
  18. present — a gift
  19. hand — in cards
  20. firm — a company
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bat — the animal
  23. present — the time now
  24. staff — a stick

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