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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: bound · pit · safe · content · racket · cap · wind · stem

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. content — the amount
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — happy
  12. wind — moving air
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cap — of ice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pit — in a race
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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