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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. suit — clothes
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — certain
  8. suit — in cards
  9. can — to be able to
  10. suit — to fit
  11. field — for sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. last — final
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — a subject
  17. can — a tin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. field — farmland
  22. spring — of water
  23. kick — in football
  24. spring — the season

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