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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: fall · ruler · date · staff · pitcher · rest · hide · ground

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fall — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — the fruit
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — crushed
  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