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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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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: rash · club · perch · fork · file · snap · rule · spell

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — in a road
  3. club — for dancing
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. perch — the fish
  12. file — a tool
  13. club — a group
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rule — a law
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a line of people
  20. spell — magic
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. club — for golf
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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