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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: land · squash · file · cue · drill · rule · bulb · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — to crush
  6. foot — a measure
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cue — a signal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. file — a document
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rule — a law
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rule — government
  17. drill — the tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. drill — army training
  20. cue — for pool
  21. land — a country
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — ground

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