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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: roll · file · cold · firm · ruler · degree · plane · drill

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. plane — a tool
  3. firm — decided
  4. drill — the tool
  5. firm — steady
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. drill — army training
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. firm — a company
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. drill — a practice
  17. degree — from a university
  18. roll — a cake
  19. file — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cold — an illness
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ruler — for measuring

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