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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pit — in a race
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a hole
  13. file — a tool
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a document
  21. current — of water
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bound — tied together

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