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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: straw · squash · cell · land · hide · safe · ruler · nail

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. land — a country
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. land — to come down
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. land — ground
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — a phone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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