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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. current — electric
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. current — happening now
  9. clip — a video
  10. rule — government
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. current — of water
  15. bark — to shout
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pound — a weight
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rule — a law

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