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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: hand · stick · hide · current · kid · march · arm · present

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. present — a gift
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. hand — help
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. current — of water
  15. present — the time now
  16. current — electric
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. present — there
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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