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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: snap · drill · stock · field · roll · file · fork · mouse

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. file — a line of people
  3. roll — a list
  4. stock — goods
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. field — farmland
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. drill — the tool
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. drill — a practice
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stock — shares
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — a soup base
  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