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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. current — electric
  2. bound — certain
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — a thing
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitch — completely
  10. object — to protest
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bound — obliged
  13. current — of water
  14. rest — a break
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ground — a position
  18. current — happening now
  19. capital — money
  20. ground — crushed
  21. capital — a city
  22. object — an aim
  23. rest — what's left
  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