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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
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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: land · press · drill · file · board · staff · mark · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. land — to come down
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. drill — a practice
  9. press — to push
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — in cards
  13. staff — a stick
  14. drill — the tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. drill — army training
  19. board — to get on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a trace
  23. press — a publisher
  24. file — a 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