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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: bore · calf · present · arm · track · land · chair · file

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bore — to tire
  5. file — a line of people
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. track — to keep track
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. present — the time now
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. track — a song
  12. present — there
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bore — to drill
  15. file — a document
  16. track — a path
  17. land — ground
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. land — to come down
  20. file — a tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — a country
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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