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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 120 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — for paper
  6. current — electric
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. hand — in cards
  14. board — to get on
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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