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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — of water
  6. toast — bread
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. current — happening now
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. clip — a video
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. shower — to wash
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tube — a container
  22. shower — rain
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bass — low music

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