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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — certain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. row — to paddle
  7. ground — a position
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bound — obliged
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — crushed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. straw — a straw man

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