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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — employees
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — in football
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — help
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — the month
  19. staff — a stick
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — part of the body

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