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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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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: nail · kid · charge · current · lash · bat · stick · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. kid — to tease
  5. current — of water
  6. kid — child
  7. current — electric
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — in control
  10. staff — a stick
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. charge — a price
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bat — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. nail — for a hammer

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