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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bound — certain
  4. swing — to play on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. clip — a video
  9. current — electric
  10. bat — the animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. current — of water
  20. swing — music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bound — tied together

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