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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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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. perch — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cell — in biology
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — an illness
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. charge — in control
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. charge — a price
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cell — a phone
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. cold — not warm

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