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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. ground — a position
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. clip — a video
  5. lean — to bend
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — after costs
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. present — there
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ground — crushed
  18. current — electric
  19. ground — the earth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — in sport
  22. present — a gift
  23. current — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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