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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chest — a box
  7. tear — to rip
  8. plane — a tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a line of people
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ruler — a monarch

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