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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: pass · file · march · land · cabinet · roll · nail · lash

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. file — a document
  3. land — a country
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. land — ground
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. roll — a cake
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. march — the month
  14. roll — a list
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pass — a permit
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. march — music
  24. land — to come down

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