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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rule — government
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bore — to drill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. clip — a video
  16. kid — child
  17. rule — a law
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. current — electric
  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