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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: cell · key · file · date · tear · drill · fan · cabinet

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. file — a document
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. tear — to rip
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. drill — army training
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. key — for a lock
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cell — a phone

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