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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: roll · last · hand · fork · wake · ground · snap · file

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a document
  4. last — to go on
  5. snap — to click
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fork — in a road
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. file — a line of people
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ground — the earth
  24. last — final

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