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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: root · court · nail · fine · drill · file · hand · patient

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. drill — a practice
  8. root — the cause
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — army training
  15. root — of a word
  16. court — of a king
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. root — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a line of people
  21. court — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of law

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