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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: net · snap · saw · stick · fork · roll · key · plane

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. key — the most important part
  4. roll — a list
  5. net — after costs
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. key — for a lock
  10. saw — the tool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — in music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. net — in sport
  20. roll — a cake
  21. plane — a tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fork — in a road

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