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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · roll · kick · stand · current · bowl

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. current — happening now
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. kick — in football
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. roll — a list

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