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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: rash · drill · racket · cell · file · mark · present · roll

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — the time now
  6. drill — the tool
  7. present — a gift
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cell — a phone
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a line of people
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. present — there
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. roll — a cake
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. roll — a list
  23. file — a document
  24. cell — in biology

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