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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cap — a hat
  13. last — to go on
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — ground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — a country
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — final
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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