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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: field · bound · arm · capital · file · row · calf · lie

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — a city
  5. bound — tied together
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. row — a line
  10. bound — certain
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — for sport
  15. file — a line of people
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bound — obliged
  18. field — a subject
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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