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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — there
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. march — music
  10. present — a gift
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. present — the time now
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. current — electric
  18. foot — a measure
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. last — final
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. march — the month

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