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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: hand · ruler · land · row · pass · straw · calf · suit

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. suit — in cards
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. land — ground
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — to fit
  8. row — a line
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pass — a permit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — to come down
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — in cards
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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