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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 116 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. clip — a video
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a trace
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — a subject
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. calf — a young animal

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