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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · rest · last · cue · patient · court · bound · pound

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. last — finally
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. last — final
  10. bound — certain
  11. rest — a break
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pound — a weight
  19. court — of a king
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. foot — the bottom

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