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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: chest · capital · cabinet · cell · rock · arm · bound · mark

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. capital — a city
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — a box
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a grade
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rock — music

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