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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.

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: mate · hide · present · racket · ruler · lean · clip · current

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mate — a friend
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. present — the time now
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — happening now
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. present — there
  22. clip — a video
  23. current — of water
  24. racket — a loud noise

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