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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — certain
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — a city
  13. rule — a law
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — a list
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chest — a box
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. patient — a sick person

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