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

Word bank: current · arm · bound · tube · swing · kid · rest · chair

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. tube — a container
  5. current — happening now
  6. bound — tied together
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tube — the underground
  11. current — electric
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. swing — to play on
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — of water
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — child
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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