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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — certain
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — to go on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. last — final
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — finally
  22. row — to paddle
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — a sick person

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