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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. track — a song
  8. kick — in football
  9. cue — a hint
  10. track — a path
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cue — a signal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. current — happening now
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — electric
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. season — of the year
  23. current — of water
  24. cue — for pool

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