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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. face — to confront
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. clip — a video
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — of water
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — to cut
  21. current — happening now
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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