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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: row · pass · bound · capital · ball · mouse · firm · band

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — obliged
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pass — a permit
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. firm — decided
  13. bound — tied together
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a ring
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. firm — steady
  23. row — to paddle
  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