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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 · bass · mate · hand · rule · drill · suit · chip

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hand — help
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mate — to breed
  8. suit — clothes
  9. rule — a law
  10. file — a tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — for betting
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rule — government
  19. suit — to fit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. drill — army training
  23. file — a document
  24. chip — in a computer

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