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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: last · file · nail · rush · land · drill · firm · scale

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. firm — decided
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — to come down
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rush — hurry
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. last — finally
  12. firm — a company
  13. land — ground
  14. drill — army training
  15. file — a document
  16. scale — size or range
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. drill — the tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. firm — steady
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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