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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · bass · bark · chest · capital · current · row · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — to shout
  3. capital — money
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rule — a law
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. capital — a city
  12. row — a line
  13. bass — low music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. current — of water
  17. chest — of your body
  18. current — electric
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rule — government
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chest — a box
  24. current — happening now

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