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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 120 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 · racket · staff · spell · cap · firm · lie · land

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. firm — decided
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — magic
  13. bound — tied together
  14. spell — letters
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. land — to come down
  18. firm — steady
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — a short time
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — an untruth

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