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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: file · rule · drill · saw · object · spell · hand · dip

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spell — letters
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. rule — a law
  6. hand — help
  7. drill — a practice
  8. object — an aim
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. object — a thing
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. spell — magic
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. object — to protest
  19. rule — government
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spell — a short time

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