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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: ball · bound · nail · bulb · hide · capital · file · firm

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — obliged
  4. firm — steady
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — certain
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. file — a document
  18. capital — money
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a dance
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. capital — a city
  23. firm — a company
  24. nail — for a hammer

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