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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — a break
  3. current — electric
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. current — happening now
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. current — of water
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. court — for sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. trunk — of a car

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