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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: clip · jam · current · pitcher · fork · wake · game · rock

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. clip — to cut
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. game — wild animals
  8. clip — a video
  9. current — happening now
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wake — a trail
  12. game — a match
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rock — music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rock — a stone

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