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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bound — tied together
  5. toast — bread
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — obliged
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — certain
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. last — final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — finally
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. last — to go on

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