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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: mark · pitcher · wind · key · current · date · calf · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — in music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. key — for a lock
  15. current — of water
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. current — electric
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. current — happening now
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wind — moving air

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