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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. current — happening now
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — a group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mate — to breed
  9. current — of water
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rule — government
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mate — a partner
  19. current — electric
  20. rule — a law
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. club — for golf
  24. rule — to rule out

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