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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — electric
  4. scale — in music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. clip — a video
  9. rock — music
  10. current — of water
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. current — happening now
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. scale — size or range
  17. swing — music
  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