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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — money
  3. rule — a law
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — happening now
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. club — a group
  12. spell — magic
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. club — for dancing
  15. current — electric
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rule — government
  18. spell — letters
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. current — of water

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