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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. current — electric
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of law
  11. current — happening now
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. court — of a king
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — for sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. current — of water
  24. sharp — exactly

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