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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — of water
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. current — happening now
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mate — a friend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. current — electric
  12. key — in music
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. present — the time now
  15. spell — magic
  16. present — a gift
  17. mate — to breed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — for paper
  20. present — there
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mate — a partner
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — a video

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