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

Word bank: drill · kid · date · chest · firm · ruler

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. date — the fruit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. firm — steady
  15. kid — child
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chest — of your body

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