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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 124 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. current — of water
  3. file — a tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — of a tree

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