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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 120 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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bound — obliged
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bass — low music
  5. foot — a measure
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. drill — army training
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — hasty
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bass — the fish

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