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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. kid — child
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. season — in sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. kid — to tease
  15. season — of the year
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — a tool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. court — of a king
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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