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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. file — a line of people
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — clever
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. current — of water
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. current — electric
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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