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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 120 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: file · drill · degree · cap · rule · arm · straw · bat

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rule — government
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — army training
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. degree — temperature
  14. drill — the tool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — a law
  17. cap — a hat
  18. drill — a practice
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. straw — dry grass

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