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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: field · drill · temple · mouse · file · hand · staff · lie

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a document
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. field — farmland
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. hand — help
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. file — a tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. field — a subject
  22. drill — army training
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a line of people

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