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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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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: fine · cell · bore · pitcher · face · capital · bound · mug

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — a city
  5. bore — to drill
  6. capital — money
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mug — a face
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. face — to confront
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fine — all right
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bore — gave birth

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