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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 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. chip — to eat
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cell — a phone
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. band — a ring
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. band — a music group
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mine — an explosive
  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