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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bound — certain
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. game — wild animals
  10. present — the time now
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bark — to shout
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. present — there
  15. game — a match
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. row — a line
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bound — obliged

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