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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pound — a weight
  5. clip — a video
  6. object — an aim
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — to cut
  9. object — a thing
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — for paper
  14. sharp — clever
  15. object — to protest
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — electric
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. current — happening now
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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