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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. toast — bread
  3. last — final
  4. cell — a phone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cue — a hint
  7. club — for golf
  8. cue — for pool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bound — tied together
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — finally
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. staff — employees
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. club — for dancing
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — in biology
  22. club — a group
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. last — to go on

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