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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — to protest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. object — an aim
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. object — a thing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. content — the amount
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. current — electric
  17. cue — a signal
  18. current — happening now
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cue — a hint
  24. clip — a video

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