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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: file · cap · straw · drill · fall · racket · fine · track

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cap — a lid
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — high quality
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. fall — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — a practice
  18. file — a document
  19. track — a path
  20. file — a line of people
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — a hat
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — of ice

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