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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. current — of water
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ball — a great time
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. current — electric
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — a line
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a dance
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mug — to rob
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — a face
  24. spring — the season

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