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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — happening now
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. present — there
  13. branch — a division
  14. clip — a video
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. face — to confront
  21. present — a gift
  22. current — of water
  23. clip — for paper
  24. chair — to sit on

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