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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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. rest — a break
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rule — government
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — a law
  11. row — to paddle
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mate — a friend
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. row — a line
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mate — to breed

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