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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. clip — to cut
  18. row — a line
  19. clip — for paper
  20. current — happening now
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — electric
  24. sharp — clever

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