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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — a video
  4. wind — moving air
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rule — government
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — electric
  20. root — the cause
  21. rule — a law
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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