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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: current · hand · staff · date · rule · straw · foot · mine

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. current — of water
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. date — the fruit
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — electric
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — help
  22. current — happening now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. hand — in cards

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