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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. tube — a container
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bound — obliged

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