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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: hand · drill · pass · present · rash · firm · bowl · file

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — help
  5. rash — hasty
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. firm — steady
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. present — a gift
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a document
  15. rash — a series
  16. firm — decided
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. firm — a company
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pass — a permit

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