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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. content — the amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — happy
  10. stock — shares
  11. kick — in football
  12. clip — a video
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — goods
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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