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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. current — of water
  3. file — a document
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bulb — for light
  6. file — a line of people
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a tool
  9. can — to be able to
  10. clip — to cut
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — electric
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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