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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rush — hurry
  10. current — of water
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bark — to shout
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ball — a dance
  20. clip — a video
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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