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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: drill · racket · file · chest · march · mate · fine · bay

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — high quality
  4. file — a tool
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. march — music
  11. file — a document
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fine — all right
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — the month
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — a practice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chest — a box

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