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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. charge — electricity
  3. clip — for paper
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. suit — clothes
  6. fall — the season
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. staff — employees
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — of water
  12. wind — moving air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — a video
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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