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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bound — certain
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — moving air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitch — completely
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — an explosive

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