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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. current — of water
  12. ground — crushed
  13. charge — electricity
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. snap — to click
  19. ground — the earth
  20. current — happening now
  21. charge — a price
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — to crush
  24. charge — in control

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