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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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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bound — tied together
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. branch — a division
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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