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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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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: cap · row · clip · perch · snap · current · fan · rule

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. current — of water
  8. rule — government
  9. cap — of ice
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rule — a law
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. row — to paddle
  15. current — electric
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to click
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. current — happening now
  24. cap — a hat

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