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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. current — of water
  4. capital — money
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — government
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — electric
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rule — a law
  14. wind — moving air
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — happening now
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rest — a break

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