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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: bound · court · staff · cap · wake · sharp · mug · cabinet

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — clever
  11. court — for sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — of law
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cabinet — ministers

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