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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · drill · file · ball · calf · club · board · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. club — for golf
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. file — a document
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ball — a great time
  12. drill — a practice
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — army training
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. board — to get on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. club — a group
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. board — a committee
  22. ball — a dance
  23. file — a tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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