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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: pitcher · foot · cold · hide · date · ruler · bowl · stand

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — an illness
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cold — not warm
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — animal skin

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