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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. firm — steady
  3. row — to paddle
  4. band — a music group
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. band — a ring
  7. ground — a position
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ground — the earth
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pass — a permit
  13. current — of water
  14. clip — a video
  15. face — to confront
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. firm — decided
  19. row — a line
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ground — crushed
  24. current — electric

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