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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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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: wound · bound · firm · cell · pit · coach · race · capital

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. firm — steady
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. capital — money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — certain
  13. race — a contest
  14. firm — a company
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. firm — decided
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — tied together
  24. race — humankind

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