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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. temple — side of the head

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