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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mark — a trace
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — a box
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bound — certain
  24. tube — a container

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