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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. current — electric
  3. sharp — clever
  4. clip — a video
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. craft — a skill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — of water
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. clip — to cut
  13. kid — child
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. current — happening now
  16. lean — to bend
  17. craft — boats
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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