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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 120 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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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: foot · current · wound · bass · capital · object · bound · pitch

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. object — to protest
  3. current — happening now
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. current — electric
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bass — low music
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. foot — a measure
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. object — a thing
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. capital — a city
  20. bass — the fish
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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