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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rule — a law
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rule — government

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