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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: fork · bat · cabinet · rush · roll · snap · rule · saw

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fork — in a road
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. roll — a list
  11. rush — hurry
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rule — government
  22. snap — to click
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — in an idiom

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