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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: craft · stand · kid · sharp · fall · mug · chest · current

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. current — happening now
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fall — the season
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. current — electric
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — of water
  16. mug — a cup
  17. chest — of your body
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mug — a face
  20. craft — boats
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chest — a box
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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