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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: file · mark · snap · kid · stick · mine · staff · fine

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kid — child
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. snap — to click
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — employees
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mine — for digging
  22. staff — a stick
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mine — an explosive

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