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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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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. charge — in control
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — electric
  12. capital — money
  13. date — the fruit
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — tied together
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. current — of water
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. current — happening now
  24. capital — a big letter

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