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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. row — to paddle
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. squash — to crush
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spring — the season
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — of water
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rule — a law
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — a line

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