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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — for paper
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. clip — to cut
  11. band — a music group
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — happening now
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. current — electric
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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