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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 116 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: staff · stand · game · current · face · club · firm · coach

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — steady
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. current — of water
  6. firm — a company
  7. staff — employees
  8. club — for golf
  9. current — electric
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. staff — a stick
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. game — a match
  17. face — to point toward
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. firm — decided
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — to confront
  22. club — for dancing
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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