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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 120 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: file · hand · nail · march · game · plane · lie · mark

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. game — a match
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mark — a grade
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. march — the month
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — to recline

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