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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rule — a law
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kid — child
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. current — of water
  10. rule — government
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. snap — to click
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. current — electric

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