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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. file — a document
  3. court — of law
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — there
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. court — for sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stem — to come from
  24. game — wild animals

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