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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fork — in a road
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tube — the underground
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. shower — rain
  9. current — of water
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. current — electric
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — a container
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — clever

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