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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. clip — for paper
  4. last — final
  5. tube — a container
  6. clip — to cut
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. current — electric
  11. tube — the underground
  12. foot — a measure
  13. land — a country
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — to be able to
  16. game — wild animals
  17. can — a tin
  18. current — happening now
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. game — a match
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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