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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: pass · cap · bound · pit · arm · present · band · content

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. present — the time now
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bound — certain
  9. pit — a hole
  10. band — a music group
  11. present — a gift
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cap — a hat
  17. present — there
  18. content — the amount
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. content — happy
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bound — tied together
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — 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