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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · current · hide · cabinet · net · sharp · bark · chest

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — for catching
  11. sharp — clever
  12. firm — decided
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. net — in sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — happening now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. current — electric
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. firm — steady
  21. net — after costs
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chest — a box

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