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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — in music
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — in control
  13. row — a line
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — for digging
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kid — to tease
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rule — to rule out

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