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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · racket · file · mouse · craft · date · bark · drill

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. season — of the year
  12. date — the fruit
  13. drill — a practice
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. file — a tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. racket — for tennis

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