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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. row — a line
  3. pop — soda
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — music
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — for paper
  8. current — happening now
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. clip — a video
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pop — to visit
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. face — to confront
  20. current — of water
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bat — in an idiom

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