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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bound — certain
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. current — of water
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — electric
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mouse — the animal

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