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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. last — final
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bulb — for light
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. last — to go on
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chest — a box
  11. ground — a position
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — for light
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ground — the earth
  22. club — for golf
  23. last — finally
  24. club — a group

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