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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: cap · mate · net · firm · cell · chest · saw · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. net — for catching
  4. saw — the tool
  5. firm — decided
  6. net — in sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chest — a box
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — certain
  16. net — after costs
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — the tool

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