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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bound — certain
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. track — a path
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bound — tied together
  20. face — to confront
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. row — a line
  24. track — to keep track

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