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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · foot · rule · sharp · current · pit · rash · snap

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — happening now
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. current — electric
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pit — in a race
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. current — of water
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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