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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chest — a box
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — goods
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — shares
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bulb — for light
  20. last — final
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — certain

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