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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cap — of ice
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — finally
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. last — final
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. row — a quarrel

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