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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. current — happening now
  6. kick — in football
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. shower — to wash
  9. current — electric
  10. snap — to click
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. clip — a video
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. shower — rain
  17. tube — a container
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. current — of water
  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