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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: drill · hand · craft · current · chest · face · ground · stand

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. face — part of the head
  8. current — of water
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — boats
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — to bear
  13. drill — a practice
  14. current — happening now
  15. drill — army training
  16. chest — a box
  17. drill — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ground — crushed
  23. current — electric
  24. craft — a skill

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