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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. roll — a cake
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — a measure
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. current — of water
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. rule — government
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — a list
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rule — a law
  22. tube — a container
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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