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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bound — certain
  5. current — happening now
  6. rule — government
  7. current — electric
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. field — farmland
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. field — for sport
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. track — a path
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rule — a law
  22. current — of water
  23. track — a song
  24. chair — a professorship

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