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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: cell · hand · bound · leaves · scale · capital · game · rash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bound — certain
  8. rash — hasty
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — a phone
  14. capital — a city
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — in music
  17. capital — money
  18. rash — a series
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cell — in biology
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. game — a match
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — part of the body

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