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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: file · saw · snap · drill · rock · rash · field · cap

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — a subject
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. snap — to click
  14. file — a document
  15. drill — army training
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rash — a series
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rash — hasty
  21. field — for sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. field — farmland

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