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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — to grow
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. firm — decided
  10. bound — certain
  11. firm — a company
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. court — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. firm — steady
  18. bound — tied together
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bound — obliged
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. last — final

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