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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: rule · file · pitcher · cue · spell · rush · drill · pitch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. file — a tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. file — a document
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rule — government
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rule — a law
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. drill — army training

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