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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. cold — an illness
  12. band — a ring
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. field — farmland
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. band — a music group
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bound — tied together

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