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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. last — finally
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. last — to go on
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — final
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bore — to tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — an illness

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