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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: bound · last · coach · mark · file · pass · nail · field

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. field — farmland
  6. file — a line of people
  7. last — finally
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. file — a tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — a subject
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — certain
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — for sport
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pass — a permit

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