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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — to push
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — for catching
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — happening now
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — after costs
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — a division
  23. current — electric
  24. branch — of a bank

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