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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: lie · degree · drill · ruler · pit · file

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a tool
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a document
  14. drill — army training
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. degree — temperature

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