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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of law
  4. bound — certain
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — for sport
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. rest — a break
  14. field — a subject
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. field — farmland
  17. court — of a king
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — to bear
  23. field — for sport
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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