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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — electric
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hand — in cards
  7. current — happening now
  8. root — the cause
  9. perch — the fish
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — help
  13. root — of a word
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. current — of water
  17. wake — a trail
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. staff — a stick
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bowl — a football final

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