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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: hide · nail · spring · rest · ball · pitcher · current · game

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ball — a great time
  4. current — happening now
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a match
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — a break
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. current — electric
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. current — of water
  24. game — wild animals

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