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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: suit · cold · bear · current · court · bat · hand · staff

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — a stick
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. court — of a king
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — happening now
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. court — for sport
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. current — of water
  24. bat — the animal

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