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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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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: file · drill · wind · march · mark · fall · bore · cap

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — a hat
  6. file — a line of people
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — army training
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. march — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. file — a document

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