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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 120 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: land · mug · suit · bat · hand · scale · track · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bat — the animal
  3. suit — in cards
  4. land — a country
  5. suit — to fit
  6. track — a path
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hand — help
  10. track — to keep track
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mug — a face
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — ground
  18. mug — a cup
  19. land — to come down
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — to rob
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. track — a song

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