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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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. clip — for paper
  4. mine — for digging
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chest — a box
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — of water
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — happening now
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. season — in sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. season — of the year
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a committee
  22. foot — a measure
  23. perch — the fish
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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