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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: hide · clip · season · current · drill · rock · foot · jam

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. clip — a video
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — of the year
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — of water
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — happening now
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. foot — a measure
  18. current — electric
  19. clip — to cut
  20. season — in sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — army training
  23. foot — the bottom
  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