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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. spell — magic
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — clever
  7. file — a document
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — for sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. current — of water
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. current — happening now
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stand — to bear

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