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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: safe · chair · wound · season · ruler · calf · hide · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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