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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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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 · chest · present · drill · club · stick · row · lie

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — the time now
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — army training
  12. present — there
  13. file — a document
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. club — a group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. club — for dancing
  18. drill — a practice
  19. present — a gift
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. row — to paddle
  22. club — for golf
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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