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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mug — a face
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — decided
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — for sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. firm — a company
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — obliged

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