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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 · rash · hand · key · trunk · drill · fine · track

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — in cards
  6. file — a line of people
  7. track — a path
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. track — a song
  15. key — the most important part
  16. drill — army training
  17. key — in music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hand — help
  22. rash — hasty
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rash — a series

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