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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — final
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for dancing
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for golf
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — finally
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — to go on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. face — to confront
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mate — a partner

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