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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — electric
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — certain
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. press — to push
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. current — happening now
  15. perch — the fish
  16. press — a publisher
  17. current — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chest — a box
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. press — newspapers

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