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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — a committee
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. board — to get on
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stand — to bear
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rock — a stone
  18. clip — a video
  19. rock — music
  20. current — happening now
  21. fork — in a road
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mark — a trace

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