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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. current — electric
  5. charge — in control
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. land — a country
  10. charge — electricity
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. sharp — clever
  15. file — a document
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. current — happening now

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