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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 · suit · bark · stand · current · ground · roll · chest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. current — electric
  3. chest — a box
  4. current — happening now
  5. suit — clothes
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — a position
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stand — to bear
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — the earth
  24. game — a match

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