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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · pit · game · calf · root · key · file · bound

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. bound — tied together
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — certain
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. file — a tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a document
  17. key — the most important part
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. root — the cause
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — a match

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