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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. current — happening now
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. suit — to fit
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bass — the fish
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. current — electric
  11. rule — government
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bass — low music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. current — of water
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. capital — a city
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. suit — clothes
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rule — a law
  24. mine — for digging

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