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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. current — of water
  4. land — to come down
  5. clip — a video
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. land — ground
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rule — a law
  10. clip — for paper
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rule — government
  13. current — electric
  14. lean — thin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. current — happening now
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. land — a country
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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