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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · staff · bowl · content · file · hand · capital · hide

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. capital — a city
  16. file — a document
  17. drill — army training
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. content — happy
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — help
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. capital — money
  24. bowl — a football final

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