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

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. band — a ring
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. present — a gift
  15. cell — a phone
  16. present — there
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. firm — steady
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cell — in biology
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bound — certain
  23. firm — decided
  24. present — the time 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