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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — for sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. current — electric
  5. field — farmland
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chair — a leader
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — for digging
  16. land — to come down
  17. field — a subject
  18. rest — a break
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. bound — tied together
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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