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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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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: file · roll · last · tube · rest · bay · cap · drill

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a tool
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — army training
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  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