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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 120 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: march · calf · bound · sharp · rush · file · chair · lie

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. march — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bound — certain
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bound — obliged
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — the month

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