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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. net — in sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — for catching
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. current — of water
  18. tube — a container
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. current — happening now

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