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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — the animal
  3. rule — government
  4. row — a line
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rule — a law
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — there
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. safe — out of danger

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