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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. clip — for paper
  3. present — a gift
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. current — happening now
  6. key — for a lock
  7. clip — to cut
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. key — in music
  13. clip — a video
  14. current — electric
  15. present — there
  16. vault — a safe
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. present — the time now
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. row — to paddle

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