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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: kid · key · march · rash · drill · ruler · game · file

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — a practice
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. file — a document
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kid — child
  11. game — wild animals
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a tool
  19. march — the month
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rash — a series
  22. key — in music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. game — a match

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