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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — happening now
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — obliged
  7. capital — a city
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bound — certain
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — a law
  12. current — electric
  13. season — in sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. current — of water
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rule — government
  20. season — of the year
  21. tube — the underground
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ground — the earth

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