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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — obliged
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. staff — a stick
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. last — to go on
  9. staff — employees
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. rest — a break
  15. fork — in a road
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — the season
  20. last — final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — tied together
  24. coach — a trainer

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