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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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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: roll · present · bound · arm · craft · snap · file · last

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bound — obliged
  8. present — there
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. present — a gift
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a document
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. last — final
  17. bound — certain
  18. roll — a list
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. present — the time now
  23. craft — boats
  24. roll — a cake

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