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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: ruler · calf · date · pitcher · hide · fall · land · present

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. present — there
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — the fruit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — to come down
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fall — the season
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. present — a gift
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. present — the time now
  24. fall — to drop

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