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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · content · mine · cap · bass · cell · foot · coach

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — the amount
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cell — in biology
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. content — happy
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bass — low music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the fish
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bound — certain

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