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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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 — to cut
  2. file — a document
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — for betting
  9. current — of water
  10. last — final
  11. file — a line of people
  12. drill — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chip — to eat
  16. last — finally
  17. drill — army training
  18. current — happening now
  19. last — to go on
  20. clip — a video
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  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