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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: file · game · cap · root · perch · drill · clip · nail

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. clip — for paper
  3. perch — the fish
  4. root — of a word
  5. clip — a video
  6. drill — a practice
  7. file — a document
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cap — a hat
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a line of people
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. clip — to cut
  18. root — the cause
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. root — of a plant
  23. game — a match
  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