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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: plane · drill · rest · file · roll · bay · mouse · degree

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. drill — a practice
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — temperature
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. drill — army training
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. drill — the tool
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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