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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: snap · kick · net · pass · rule · file · stem · field

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. file — a document
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. net — in sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. rule — government
  11. field — for sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rule — a law
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. field — farmland
  22. pass — a permit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. net — after costs

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