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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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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: straw · spell · file · capital · pass · deal · sharp · drill

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. drill — a practice
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spell — letters
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — the tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a document
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. capital — money
  13. deal — to handle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. file — a tool
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. drill — army training
  22. pass — a permit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spell — a short time

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