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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — there
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. present — the time now
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bulb — for light
  10. present — a gift
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a partner
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. current — electric
  19. mate — to breed
  20. plane — a tool
  21. kid — child
  22. fall — the season
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bulb — of a plant

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