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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. land — a country
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a line of people
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. capital — a city
  9. craft — boats
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a tool
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. file — a document
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. land — ground
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. safe — out of danger

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