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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · perch · clip · current · arm · spell · field · hide

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. key — the most important part
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spell — a short time
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spell — letters
  7. key — for a lock
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — magic
  12. clip — a video
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — to cut
  20. perch — the fish
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. key — in music
  24. perch — for a bird

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