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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rest — what's left
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. staff — a stick
  7. current — of water
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. staff — employees
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. deal — to handle
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. current — happening now
  21. staff — employees
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a document
  24. leaves — of a tree

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