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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — to go on
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bark — to shout
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. last — final
  10. sharp — clever
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. charge — electricity
  14. current — happening now
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. last — finally
  20. current — of water
  21. charge — a price
  22. current — electric
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — in control

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