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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: coach · sharp · net · stand · last · pound · cold · current

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stand — to bear
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — happening now
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — not warm
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — after costs
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. net — in sport
  18. current — of water
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. net — for catching
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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