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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. board — to get on
  7. bound — obliged
  8. current — of water
  9. bound — tied together
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — rain
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — electric
  18. board — a committee
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. shower — to wash

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