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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fall — to drop
  4. land — to come down
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — a country
  7. bound — obliged
  8. file — a document
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. land — ground
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — music
  17. bound — tied together
  18. file — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — the season
  23. craft — a skill
  24. calf — a young animal

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