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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — boats
  5. field — farmland
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. current — electric
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rest — what's left
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. field — for sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. current — of water
  20. rest — a break
  21. craft — a skill
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — happening now
  24. chip — in a computer

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