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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. march — music
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. current — of water
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — a video
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. clip — for paper
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — help
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. current — electric

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