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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: hand · pass · staff · cap · track · rest · mine · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rest — what's left
  6. track — a path
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a lid
  10. staff — a stick
  11. track — a song
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. rest — a break
  14. bound — obliged
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cap — a hat
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. bound — certain
  23. mine — for digging
  24. track — to keep track

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