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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. last — finally
  2. bound — tied together
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a friend
  5. last — final
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the fish
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  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