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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: straw · snap · leaves · calf · rule · cell · lash · chair

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. rule — government
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chair — a leader
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cell — a phone

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