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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 120 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: cell · cabinet · net · mate · calf · drill · rule · kid

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rule — government
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — army training
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — a law
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. net — for catching
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. mate — a partner

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