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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. firm — decided
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. current — happening now
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. firm — a company
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mug — a face
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — for digging
  11. current — of water
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. firm — steady
  19. current — electric
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — on the 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