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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. current — of water
  3. chest — a box
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — of your body
  16. current — happening now
  17. rule — government
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. current — electric
  20. ground — a position
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. field — farmland
  24. rule — a law

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