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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. current — electric
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. clip — to cut
  8. current — happening now
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. march — the month
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — a video
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. clip — for paper
  20. chip — for betting
  21. march — music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a dance

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