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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · bound · mug · mate · safe · wind · pop · roll

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mug — a cup
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mug — to rob
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — soda
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — certain
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mug — a face
  19. wind — moving air
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — a list
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — tied together

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