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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: snap · mug · last · nail · season · fall · file · cabinet

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — to go on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — a face
  7. season — of the year
  8. last — final
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a line of people
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — in sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. snap — to click

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