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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — all right
  4. capital — money
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — of water
  8. rash — a series
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. current — electric
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — soda

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