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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. charge — a price
  9. swing — in golf
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. swing — music
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bass — the fish
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. bound — obliged
  17. capital — a city
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — low music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mine — for digging
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bound — certain

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