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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a line of people
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — a committee
  6. present — there
  7. tear — to rip
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. present — a gift
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. sharp — clever
  14. board — to get on
  15. file — a document
  16. present — the time now
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. bound — tied together

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