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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: nail · current · cold · season · staff · fine · fan · kid

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. current — happening now
  3. cold — an illness
  4. season — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. current — electric
  9. staff — a stick
  10. current — of water
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — child
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — high quality
  20. kid — to tease
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cold — the Cold War

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