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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 · roll · kick · cap · nail · mouse · land · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. file — a line of people
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cap — a hat
  11. land — to come down
  12. file — a document
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. file — a tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. roll — a list
  19. hand — help
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — in football
  24. land — a country

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