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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — tied together
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — for sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. last — finally
  12. field — a subject
  13. drill — army training
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. drill — the tool
  16. date — the fruit
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. drill — a practice
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. field — farmland
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — obliged
  24. leaves — to go away

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