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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — to tease
  3. last — to go on
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. last — finally
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the fish
  16. band — a ring
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bass — low music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stand — to bear
  24. band — a rubber band

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