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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. current — electric
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — a video
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. last — final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bass — the fish
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rest — a break
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bass — low music
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. rest — what's left
  24. clip — for paper

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