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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: game · file · tube · jam · pound · object · deal · drill

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. object — to protest
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a tool
  7. object — a thing
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — the underground
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. game — a match
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — wild animals
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a document
  19. drill — a practice
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — a container
  22. deal — to handle
  23. drill — army training
  24. file — a line of people

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