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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. suit — clothes
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitch — completely
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. suit — to fit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. key — for a lock
  14. current — of water
  15. game — a match
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — in music

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