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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: sharp · land · drill · roll · stick · file · club · lie

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. club — a group
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. file — a tool
  8. drill — the tool
  9. file — a document
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. file — a line of people
  18. land — ground
  19. roll — a list
  20. lie — to recline
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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