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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: hand · chip · current · straw · staff · stand · key · hide

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — to bear
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. key — the most important part
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. hand — help

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