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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bass — low music
  3. rule — government
  4. net — after costs
  5. bark — to shout
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. present — the time now
  9. rule — a law
  10. bass — the fish
  11. present — a gift
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — electric
  14. net — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. current — of water
  20. net — for catching
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. present — there

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