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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. current — happening now
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — in cards
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — in football
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — help
  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