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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. clip — for paper
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. current — electric
  14. present — the time now
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. key — for a lock
  21. present — there
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — to cut

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