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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — a video
  3. charge — electricity
  4. present — a gift
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. clip — for paper
  8. present — there
  9. current — of water
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — to cut
  12. charge — in control
  13. rock — music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. key — for a lock
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. branch — a division
  19. key — in music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. present — the time now
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. current — happening now

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