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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
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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: rock · date · temple · land · drill · fan · file · rule

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rock — music
  6. file — a document
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — to come down
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rule — government
  13. land — a country
  14. date — the fruit
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. file — a tool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rule — a law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. drill — army training
  24. temple — a place of worship

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