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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · spell · suit · cell · bound · stick · mate · mug

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mug — a cup
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mug — a face
  8. mate — a friend
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mug — to rob
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spell — letters
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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