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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — letters
  4. current — electric
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chip — to eat
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. track — a path
  21. spell — a short time
  22. track — to keep track
  23. shower — to wash
  24. current — of water

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