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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: drill · game · tube · cabinet · file · pound · stock · perch

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. tube — a container
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pound — a weight
  10. drill — the tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — army training
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — a match
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stock — shares

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