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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — obliged
  3. craft — boats
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. race — the arms race
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chest — a box
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bound — certain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. race — a contest
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chest — of your body
  18. race — humankind
  19. bound — tied together
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. present — a gift
  23. craft — a skill
  24. key — in music

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