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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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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: wake · capital · race · net · current · rash · face · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. current — of water
  3. net — in sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rash — a series
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. face — to point toward
  13. race — humankind
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. bound — obliged
  18. net — for catching
  19. rash — hasty
  20. net — after costs
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. capital — a city
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rash — on the skin

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