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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: bore · rule · file · bass · hand · wind · game · track

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — help
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. file — a document
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bore — to tire
  15. hand — in cards
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rule — a law
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rule — government
  20. bass — low music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. file — a line of people

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