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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: game · racket · tear · staff · hide · current · nail · rash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a match
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. nail — for a hammer

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