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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. net — after costs
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wound — an injury
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a word
  15. net — in sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. sharp — clever
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. current — of water
  24. root — the cause

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