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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bound — certain
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — tied together
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rash — a series
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. snap — to click
  22. current — of water
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. current — happening now

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