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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: chest · ruler · wake · foot · ball · file · plane · date

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. foot — a measure
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chest — of your body
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. date — the fruit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chest — a box
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ball — a dance
  22. plane — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. wake — before a funeral

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