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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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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rule — government
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stem — to come from
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — the animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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