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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — a short time
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — letters
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. sharp — clever
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — of water
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. spell — magic

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