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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lean — to bend
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — thin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. bound — tied together
  8. board — to get on
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — a container
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — a break
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bound — obliged
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. board — a flat piece

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