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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. kid — child
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kid — to tease
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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