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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: object · drill · file · club · snap · fork · cabinet · track

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. track — a song
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a line of people
  5. drill — the tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. drill — a practice
  8. snap — to click
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. track — to keep track
  12. object — to protest
  13. track — a path
  14. club — a group
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. object — a thing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. object — an aim
  23. club — for dancing
  24. drill — army training

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