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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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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: bound · fork · last · mark · march · capital · cue · patient

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — a trace
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — finally
  13. bound — certain
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cue — a hint
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. capital — a city
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bound — tied together
  22. march — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. capital — a big letter

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