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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. current — electric
  3. content — the amount
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — low music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — of water
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cue — a hint
  17. content — happy
  18. current — happening now
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. last — finally
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. last — final
  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