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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: face · chair · calf · ruler · stand · mine · dip · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — to confront
  3. chair — a leader
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. dip — to sink
  18. face — to point toward
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stand — to bear
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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