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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: bat · suit · rush · bank · hand · file · drill · coach

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. file — a document
  4. bank — of a river
  5. suit — clothes
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. suit — in cards
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a line of people
  15. suit — to fit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — army training
  18. hand — help
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. file — 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