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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. mug — a cup
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. current — electric
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a hat
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — of water
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bore — to tire
  16. clip — to cut
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. current — happening now
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bore — to drill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mug — a face
  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