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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — a video
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cap — of ice
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. clip — to cut
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. march — the month
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cap — a hat
  16. vault — a safe
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — the month
  19. current — happening now
  20. face — to confront
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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