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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: mug · bound · cell · pit · pop · wound · sharp · hand

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bound — certain
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pop — music
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pop — soda
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bound — obliged
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mug — a face
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — help
  24. pit — in a race

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