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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. plane — a tool
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. current — electric
  6. suit — clothes
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. scale — in music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bound — tied together
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cap — a hat
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — happening now
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — of water
  24. chair — to sit on

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