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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. can — a tin
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — to cut
  6. current — happening now
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — to be able to
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — of water
  18. ground — the earth
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. clip — for paper
  23. current — electric
  24. clip — a video

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