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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. current — happening now
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. current — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — to cut
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rest — what's left
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. current — electric
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wound — an injury

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