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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. clip — for paper
  3. craft — a skill
  4. degree — from a university
  5. current — electric
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. degree — temperature
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. present — there
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. clip — to cut
  13. present — a gift
  14. bore — to drill
  15. craft — boats
  16. current — happening now
  17. present — the time now
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. current — of water
  24. bore — to tire

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