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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 · can · mine · pitch · arm · wind · cell · court

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — obliged
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — certain
  9. court — for sport
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — of a king
  16. can — a tin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — tied together
  22. can — a tin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mine — for digging

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