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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: swing · drill · file · ruler · present · pop

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. present — there
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — army training
  6. present — a gift
  7. pop — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pop — to visit
  12. swing — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. present — the time now
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people

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