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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. current — happening now
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. craft — boats
  18. current — electric
  19. craft — a skill
  20. scale — size or range
  21. current — of water
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pound — a weight

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