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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. current — happening now
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stand — to bear
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. content — the amount
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. content — happy
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. net — after costs
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — help
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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