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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. clip — a video
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. clip — to cut
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. hand — help
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — in cards
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. current — electric
  18. clip — for paper

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