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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. rock — music
  4. clip — a video
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lean — thin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. kick — in football
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rock — a stone
  17. current — happening now
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pass — a permit
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. current — of water
  24. craft — boats

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