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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · hide · calf · wind · cell · court · cold · rule

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. court — of law
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. row — a line
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — for sport
  11. rule — government
  12. cold — not warm
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cold — an illness
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rule — a law
  23. court — of a king
  24. wind — moving air

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