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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: sharp · hide · pound · club · current · staff · straw · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. current — happening now
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. current — electric
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pound — a weight
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — of water
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — clever

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