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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. clip — a video
  4. key — in music
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — electric
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — in sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — happening now
  14. plane — a tool
  15. current — of water
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. kid — to tease
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. season — of the year
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kid — child

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