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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. current — electric
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. current — of water
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chest — a box
  23. current — happening now
  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