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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · racket · file · rock · land · fork · snap · saw

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. spell — letters
  6. rock — music
  7. file — a tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — in a road
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — to come down
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. saw — the tool
  18. land — ground
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rock — a stone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — to move gently

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