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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. mate — a friend
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — government
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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