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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
468
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: ground · hand · game · file · snap · pass · drill · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a document
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — wild animals
  5. drill — the tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ground — crushed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pass — a permit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. snap — to click
  22. file — a tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hand — part of the body

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