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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. season — of the year
  7. cell — in biology
  8. season — in sport
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bound — obliged
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. track — a song
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. sharp — clever
  20. track — to keep track
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. track — a path

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