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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. court — of law
  10. rule — government
  11. chair — a leader
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — of water
  20. rule — a law
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. bound — obliged
  24. current — happening now

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