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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. object — to protest
  3. pass — a permit
  4. last — final
  5. object — an aim
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bound — obliged
  8. object — a thing
  9. bound — certain
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. present — the time now
  12. bound — tied together
  13. present — a gift
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. present — there
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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