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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
468
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: march · ball · bay · drill · nail · file · pass · degree

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. degree — from a university
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — temperature
  6. file — a document
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — the tool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ball — a dance
  13. drill — army training
  14. march — the month
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. ball — a great time
  19. march — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. file — a tool

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