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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 116 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 · tear · bay · snap · firm · drill

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. drill — army training
  3. firm — steady
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. firm — a company
  9. snap — to click
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bay — a part of the sea

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