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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — a hole
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — tied together
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. roll — a list
  22. hand — help
  23. wax — to grow
  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