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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitch — completely
  4. current — electric
  5. firm — steady
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. current — happening now
  11. firm — a company
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. firm — decided
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. current — of water
  18. net — in sport
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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