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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: stand · staff · game · current · bat · hand · hide · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stand — to bear
  4. current — of water
  5. hand — in cards
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — a match
  11. current — electric
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — the animal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. current — happening now
  24. hand — help

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