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

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. file — a tool
  4. craft — boats
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — finally
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. field — farmland
  13. lie — to recline
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — tied together
  16. file — a document
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. field — a subject
  19. craft — a skill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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