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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — a match
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hand — in cards
  6. staff — a stick
  7. game — wild animals
  8. current — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — electric
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mark — a grade
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spring — the season
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. current — happening now
  24. nail — on a finger

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