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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: drill · rock · stock · scale · mark · snap · file · last

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. last — finally
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — a practice
  7. scale — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a tool
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. file — a document
  15. stock — shares
  16. drill — army training
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — the tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stock — goods
  22. rock — music
  23. last — final
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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