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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. march — the month
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — a law
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bound — certain
  11. mug — a face
  12. track — a song
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. track — a path
  22. saw — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rule — government

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