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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 116 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: fan · pop · kid · pass · bound · capital

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kid — child

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