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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 116 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 · ball · kid · race · ruler · hand · drill · coach

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hand — in cards
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. hand — help
  12. drill — a practice
  13. file — a document
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a line of people
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — the tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. drill — army training
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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