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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 116 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: nail · pitcher · rest · drill · cue · shower · can · file

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — a hint
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — a practice
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rest — a break
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — rain
  21. cue — for pool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. drill — the tool

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