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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — a video
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — child
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. clip — to cut
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. current — of water
  17. board — a committee
  18. current — happening now
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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