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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: patient · snap · saw · plane · mug · swing · game · file

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. swing — in golf
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a document
  5. mug — to rob
  6. saw — the tool
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. swing — to play on
  9. file — a tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mug — a face
  12. plane — a tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. file — a line of people
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mug — a cup
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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