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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. current — of water
  8. row — a line
  9. kick — in football
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — happening now
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. court — for sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. court — of a king
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. court — of law

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