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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — happening now
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rest — a break
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. clip — a video
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rest — what's left

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