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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. bound — certain
  2. lean — to bend
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pass — a permit
  7. capital — a city
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lean — thin
  11. capital — money
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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