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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. wake — a trail
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mug — a face
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bound — tied together
  17. last — finally
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mug — to rob
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bound — certain

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