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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: board · temple · rash · saw · jam · clip · file · drill

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — to get on
  3. clip — to cut
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. clip — for paper
  10. file — a document
  11. drill — a practice
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — army training
  15. rash — a series
  16. drill — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. board — a committee
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — the tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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