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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. current — happening now
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lie — to recline
  6. current — electric
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — rain
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. current — of water
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — for paper

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