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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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Word bank
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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: staff · snap · bound · key · patient · rest · sharp · chest

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rest — what's left
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — tied together
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chest — a box
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. key — in music
  17. bound — certain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chest — of your body
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rest — a break
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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