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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: jam · ball · kick · current · last · clip · hand · stand

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kick — in football
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — finally
  7. stand — to bear
  8. current — electric
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. clip — to cut
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hand — help
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. current — happening now
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. jam — a tight spot

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