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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: bowl · plane · chest · current · fall · ruler · date · kid

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. chest — a box
  5. kid — child
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fall — the season
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fall — to drop
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. current — happening now
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. date — the fruit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — a tool

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