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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — electric
  4. toast — bread
  5. object — a thing
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. clip — a video
  13. cue — a signal
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cue — a hint
  18. object — to protest
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — happening now
  22. clip — for paper
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. current — of water

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