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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 124 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cap — a lid
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lie — to recline
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pit — in a race
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cap — of ice
  16. clip — a video
  17. current — electric
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — to cut
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — a stick

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