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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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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. firm — a company
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — a video
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitch — completely
  9. firm — decided
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. face — part of the head
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. firm — steady
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — to tease
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — child
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. clip — for paper
  24. face — to confront

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