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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: land · calf · mark · face · pass · pitcher · hand · squash

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pass — a permit
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. land — a country
  10. mark — a grade
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — to crush
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to confront
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. hand — help
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. face — part of the head

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