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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 120 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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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: key · drill · fine · cell · snap · kid · file · can

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. can — a tin
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. snap — to click
  14. fine — all right
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fine — high quality
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. drill — army training
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fine — a penalty

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