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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — a song
  4. last — final
  5. bound — obliged
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. last — finally
  9. track — to keep track
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — to go on
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. track — a path
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — clever
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bound — tied together

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