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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: craft · saw · present · staff · current · race · charge · hand

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. race — a contest
  4. current — happening now
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. charge — a price
  8. present — a gift
  9. hand — help
  10. craft — a skill
  11. current — of water
  12. hand — in cards
  13. race — humankind
  14. craft — boats
  15. current — electric
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. staff — a stick
  18. present — there
  19. race — the arms race
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. charge — electricity
  23. staff — employees
  24. charge — in control

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